Tragedy
by RealTechnorat
Summary: (Tokyo Ghoul au) Izaya Orihara is a ghoul, human-like creatures that can only get their nutrition from humans. Shizuo Heiwajima didn't know that. He only knew that he hated the informant and vice versa. Who's the real monster? The human with abnormal strength or a creature that ate suicide victims? (slow Shizaya)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Monster**

_"Smells like something I've forgotten_

_Curled up died and now it's rotten."_

Rain washes away scents. But, Shizuo could smell the flea. The nasty, rotting scent he emitted and nobody else could smell was coming from an alley - way not too far from Shizuo's home. The man grumbled angrily. It was close to 3 am. What the hell was the informant up to at this time? Nothing good, Shizuo could tell.

He - having just gotten home from his work - was still wearing the bartender uniform. Grabbing his keys once again from the table, Shizuo left his apartment.

It would't take him long to chase the flea out of his hometown, he reasoned.

The streets were almost deserted. Quiet for once. It was late and raining; two reasons for people to be in their homes. But, Shizuo could hear a fight going on. The flea's scent was fresh and felt like it was coming from right over there, so he had to be one of the two shadowy figures.

But, something wasn't right…

One of those figures, a girl, had some sort of tail? It was a giant and strange appendage that the fake blond woman used. It was powerful too, throwing around trash cans and the like at her swiftly moving opponent. The flea.

Izaya, the other fighter, was throwing around his switch blades, like normal. Not a trace of fear or confusion or anything other than twisted glee on his face pale.

Shizuo instinctively felt fear and anger bubble up at the two. As he stepped forward, he stepped in something wet… and sticky. Looking down, he saw the body. A man, thin and in his early twenties. There was a hole straight through his heart. A hole that a gun could not possibly make. But one that could be explained by the woman's tail. The man's face was frozen in fear, horror, and betrayal. Shizuo's was just horror and disgust.

His shoes would never be the same.

Not that it really mattered, because this was going to be the turning point of his turbulent life and he could always buy more shoes.

The woman had incredibly tan skin and light makeup. He didn't know the name for that type of fashion, but had thought it had died out ages ago. Her clothes were equally bizarre. Something only teenage girls would wear around Harajuku. The tail weapon thing? Not so much.

She noticed him. And, in a heart stopping moment, switched targets. Her grip was vice-like, snatching onto Shizuo. "Just one bite," she chattered. "One bite and then another and another. Mother, so hungry. Hungry." She was fucking crazy, Shizuo decided. But with her tail and her eerie eyes, she was more than crazy. She was a monster. A real one. Not like Shizuo.

Her mouth opened up, much bigger than a normal human's could. Shizuo punched her, knocking her down against the wall.

"Aww, Kichi-chan," rang the informant. "First, you hunt in my territory. Now, you want to snack on my protozoan? How rude." His eyes… were the same as hers. A solid red pupil and iris and a black sclera. His eyes were normally a red-brown color, but at least he looked more human than the god he proclaimed he was. But now he was neither. Just another monster that goes bump in the night.

She sputtered, blood dripping down her chin, and started to chow down on the man she had slaughtered.

Izaya sighed. A… set of wings was sticking out from his shoulder blade. "It's no use to reason with the ones driven mad by hunger," he mused. "But, Kichi-chan needs to be taught a lesson, clearly." He shot a barrage of… feathers at the girl. Kichi clutched at her wounds and her meal simultaneously.

"The fuck is going on flea?" Shizuo yelled.

The informant held a finger to his lips. "Shh, Shizu-chan," he called out, going to Kichi. "Wouldn't wanna wake up anyone." Then he giggled like the mad man he was. "How funny that a monster like you would help me~!"

"I didn't help _you_," he answered. "I just didn't want to end up like that guy." The corpse that had a few bites taken out of. The woman was making gurgling noises.

"Fair point," Izaya muttered. "Now run along Kichi-chan! I need to have a little chat with the protozoan." A vein on Shizuo's forehead throbbed. He didn't like being called something small, insignificant, and stupid like that.

The woman clawed her way to her feet and spat at the informant. Blood coated his face and he wiped it away with a hand. Before licking that hand. "Vile," he muttered. "Like I thought." Kichi was already gone. Izaya leaned over the corpse and took a bite and then another. "Not bad."

"You fucking call me a monster when you eat people?" Shizuo said to him.

Izaya grinned a toothy and bloody smile. "Can't help my diet, Shizu-chan," he said. "But we'd best keep this between the two of us." The rain had drenched them both to the bone. "You wouldn't like it if Kasuka-san got some _unpleasant_ visitors, ne?"

Shizuo grabbed the man by his jacket and slammed him against the wall, the very same he threw Kichi at. Holding the flea there, he growled, "Don't you dare hurt my brother."

Izaya's cold hand went to Shizuo's wrists. "Then don't _you _dare tell anyone about tonight."

Shizuo let go of the smaller… man? monster? Shaking his head slightly, he walked back home. But not before seeing Izaya Orihara scoop up the corpse and start walking down the deserted alley-way.

They didn't cross paths for the next couple of nights. Shizuo slept in late and worked later. Izaya… Who knew what that guy did? Other than work for the yakuza, sell information about people, and generally be a pest to humanity. But now that Shizuo knew more about him, he realized that Izaya was more like a parasite, feeding upon the innocents of Ikebukuro.

Shizuo wanted to know. Just what was Izaya Orihara? And that girl, Kichi?

Ghouls.

That's a word that kept on popping up on forums and in conversations at the bar. They were the latest urban myth that just might happen to be true. Like Shizuo's friend Celty, they were human-like in appearance. But, their eyes would change when hungry or excited. And they seemed to have various appendages for hunting. Hunting what exactly? Humans, which they ate.

How wonderful.

Most people dismissed it as some silly rumors that only got popular after people started disappearing. Shizuo couldn't believe he didn't notice it before. But then again, he never really cared for the news. A lot of people around Tokyo had gone missing and only a few were found. Well, partially found.

The bartender now knew that at least two of those _things _existed. God knew that they weren't really 'people.' And it could well be either one of them. Just how many more of these creatures existed? Shizuo didn't want to find out. It was easier to pretend that everything was Izaya Orihara's fault. It always was.

That's why Shizuo can't help but think that the surprise attack from the tailed girl was the flea's fault. Walking home so late could be dangerous, he knew. But he never thought he'd be attacked by someone who fucking wanted to eat him for supper.

She looked crazier than she did a few nights ago. Dirty hair, roots showing, and those ominous eyes. Drool was leaking out from her mouth as she attacked. They were in the middle of the streets but it was late at night and most people ran when they saw Shizuo getting into a fight.

The tail was out and Shizuo pulled a stop sign from the street. He wasn't going to let that girl gobble him up like those guys that went missing. No, Shizuo knew that if he died, it was going to be at the hands of the flea. No one else.

"Hungry hungry hungry hungry," she muttered. Repetitive like Saika, but possibly more dangerous. "Want to eat. Flesh flesh flesh. Human flesh." She began to laugh hysterically.

"You're fucking insane," Shizuo said, putting away his sunglasses. Why he wore them at such a late hour was a good question.

"I want to eat what Orihara-san watches over so much," she said dreamily. "Smells good, smells good, yes."

A creak came from above, but Shizuo didn't pay it any attention. He smacked the girl with the street sign and she smashed against a building's wall. The building - under construction - had a crane holding up some beams at the very top. It let go, dropping the beams onto the two of them.

Shizuo was crushed. He couldn't move, even with his unnatural strength. He just couldn't. There was blood. So much blood. And he was simply so tired… He couldn't move.

The beeping woke him up.

The constant noise… of a heart monitor.

Blinking, he noticed that he was in Shinra's apartment. A pang of hunger. Wow, how long was he out? His head was pounding. Just what had happened? Did he get hit by a truck again? Just as the bartender started to sit up, Shinra walked in. Energetic as usual.

"Shizuo!" he said. "You're up! That's great! My darling Celty and I were beginning to worry."

_Flesh flesh flesh. Meat. Human. Human flesh. Eat eat. Feed_. Shizuo shook those thoughts from his head. What was wrong with him? "Shinra," he said wearily. "What's going on?"

Shinra's cheerful smile melted away and was replaced by some quickly masked fear. "I'm sorry, Shizuo. It was the only way I could save your life!"

"Shinra," he said quietly, but infused with his special brand of anger. "What. The hell. Did you do?"

"You and some girl were crushed by a bunch of beams, which seems suspicious by the way, and she was already dead when you guys were brought to me so I transplanted some of her organs into you and since you were missing a lot of blood so I gave you some of Izaya's because you're the same blood type," Shinra spoke a mile a minute. "And I'm so sorry. I mean, I knew about Izaya. And I figured since he had a low about of Rc cells, you wouldn't really be affected by it but I didn't know that the girl was a ghoul!"

Shinra breathed heavily and Shizuo tried to process the information.

Celty walked in, holding a cup of coffee in one hand and her PDA in the other. She handed over the coffee to Shizuo who took it and drank. It was black with no sugar or cream, but it tasted oddly _good _to him who normally preferred sweet things.

"Can I have something to eat?" he asked, feeling his stomach make rumbling noises and ignoring the voice at the back of his head telling him to take a bite out of his doctor friend. "I'm really hungry."

And Celty begins typing as Shinra starts to speak. "That's what I've been trying to tell you!" The not-so-legal doctor yells. "Wait, wait. Let me show you!" And he fishes out a phone and snaps a picture of the bed-ridden man.

Everything looked pretty normal. Except for Shizuo's left eye.

Like the girl and like the flea, it was completely black except for a red middle. Shizuo held a hand over the offending eye and he could feel it _throb _in time with his pulse.

Celty managed to type something on her PDA and showed it to the blond man. _[You're alive Shizuo. You may not be human anymore, but you are alive and that's what matters!]_

"What do you mean that I'm _not human_?" Shizuo was understandably angry… and afraid. Just what had happened when he was out. Organ transplant? And he had his mortal foe's blood running in his veins?

"Well," said Shinra, rubbing his hands together. "You're not fully human because I had to give you a ghoul's organs and another ghoul's blood to make sure you survived. You're not fully ghoul since not all of your organs come from one. You're… a mix of both I guess."

There was a momentary silence.

"Is there anything else I should know?" Shizuo was oddly calm. He couldn't… change what had happened to him. Nothing he could do would reverse the fact that Shinra saved him while turning him into something else entirely. Yes, he was mad. Yes, he was grieving the loss of some of his humanity.

"Ummm," said Shinra awkwardly. "You kinda have to eat human bodies for nutrition now."

"What?!" Shizuo yelled, louder than he intended.

Shinra hid behind his headless girlfriend. Poking his head out from behind her shoulder, he said,"Well, ghouls can only digest human flesh, along with coffee and plain water." Shizuo looked bitterly at the mug. No wonder it hadn't been sweetened with plenty of sugar and cream. Those monsters couldn't handle that. Shinra thought for a moment. "Maybe tea's okay too? We could ask Izaya. He drinks a lot of tea. And I guess he can find some food for you too. I mean, he feeds his sisters. Adding one more person to the Orihara family dinner table shouldn't be that bad."

"Wait," Shizuo said. "Those little girls are monsters too?" He remembered the time when they made a deal. If they killed Izaya, he'd let them meet Kasuka, their idol and his brother.

Celty started typing quickly. _[Shizuo, that's rude! They're your only hope at learning about the unspoken rules of the supernatural!]_

"Why can't you teach me then?" said Shizuo. "You're not human either."

"Shizuo, my dear Celty may not be human, but she's also not a ghoul," Shinra said. "Celty doesn't even need food and I certainly cannot smuggle dead bodies to you!"

"I refuse to eat a human," Shizuo spat. "I am _not_ a monster, no matter how many times the flea calls me that!"

_[Ghouls go crazy if starved.] _Celty warned.

"Well, it's a good thing I'm not a ghoul, then," Shizuo said.

"Shizuo," Shinra said, coming from behind the fairy. He grabbed his friend's shoulder. "You can go two months, maybe, without food, but… Do you want to risk waking up one day only to find out that you've killed and eaten somebody you care about? Like, Kasuka-kun? Or me? Or even your neighbors?"

Shizuo grimaced and looked away.

"I thought so," said the doctor. "Now, I know you and Izaya hate each other, but if you want to survive, you have to stick with him. At least for a little while. And, if Izaya wants to make sure that no more people find out for sure about the existence of ghouls, then he'll make sure you won't get into trouble." Shinra adjusted his glasses with a toothy smile. "I'll call him now and see if it's okay with him." The look on his face was absolutely evil. He certainly wasn't giving the informant a choice in the matter. "Maybe you'll let me dissect you? I've had the pleasure of dissecting Izaya before, but you're a completely different specimen, Shizuo!"

Shinra - Shizuo always knew - had an obsession with the supernatural. Maybe that's why he stayed friends with such a horrible person like Izaya Orihara for so long?


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Filthy Piece of Trash**

_"You're a psycho, they all know it too_

_I can't wait until the day when I'm finally through with you."_

Izaya shows up like Shinra promised, first thing in the morning. In his usual outfit, with his usual smirk. But something throws Shizuo off. The normal rancid scent that hung around the informant like smoke is gone. Well not simply gone, but replaced. The new scent is sharp... just like the old, but in a pleasant way.

Shizuo Heiwajima would not voice his new found discovery, but Izaya would voice one of his own.

"Ne, ne, Shinra," the flea says from his spot on the couch. The other two are standing, awkwardly in silence. "You do realize that Shizu-chan stinks just like a female ghoul?" He thinks. "No, no... More like a male human and a female ghoul, but at the same time. Hmm, and I thought you were a monster before, Shizu-chan!" He snickers and Shizuo wants to bash his head in. Unfortunately, Shinra was a doctor and ghouls possessed high speed healing. No wonder Izaya never stayed down for long, even when Shizuo succeeded in hitting him with some kind of large object.

"Oooh, really?" Shinra said, adjusting his glasses before turning to a fuming Shizuo. "How fascinating! Now you really have to let me dissect you!" He's got that crazy gleam in his eyes, once again.

"What do you mean I smell like a female ghoul?" Shizuo growls out, choosing to ignore Shinra. Celty wasn't even around to control her boyfriend's freaky hobby.

"Stink," Izaya corrects. "And in theory, you don't just smell like one, you are one!"

"I don't have a vagina."

"I know that," Izaya says, slightly annoyed. "We had gym together in high school." The dark haired man gestures for the other two to sit down. Really, Shinra was just impressed that those two didn't try to kill each other by now. "The organs that made you half ghoul came from a female. You, in theory, should have Kichi-chan's kagune as well as her heat cycle and etcetera..."

"Heat cycle?" Shizuo yelled just as Shinra shouted,"Kagune?" Shizuo's exclamation was one of anger and slight fear, while Shinra's was pure excitement.

The bartender shot up and grabbed Izaya by the collar. The informant didn't move; just stayed still, his legs dangling in the air.

Well, they had been civil for a record time.

"It's a theory!" Izaya defended. "If you smell just like a female ghoul, you're probably going to act like one. Let me down, Shizu-chan! Jeez, it's not like you can become pregnant anyway, unless Shinra transplanted her uterus as well."

Shizuo turned to his experiment-happy friend, who raised his hands in defense. "I was saving your life," Shinra said,"not planing on having you breed new life. But that would be interesting."

"Shinra," Shizuo growled.

"Sorry, sorry."

Shizuo let his mortal enemy down. Well, more like dropped him. It was fine. As a master of parkour, Izaya always landed on his feet.

"Now, as I was saying," the informant continued. "Let's see your kagune!"

"The weapon thing?" Shizuo asks.

Shinra grins sheepishly at that. "Shizuo, you're going to have to use your kagune to fight off other ghouls and to hunt, after a while."

"Shizu-chan's probably going to have a bikaku, just like Kichi-chan," Izaya chimed in.

"A what?"

Izaya sighs, seemingly exasperated. "A tail," he says. "Now, let's confirm the theory!"

Both of them watched the blond with wide interested eyes. "How am I supposed to do that?"

"Oh, kagune's tend to pop out when their user is excited or frightened," Shinra provided helpfully, just as Izaya Orihara decided to go with the later. His hunting organ was called an ukaku. Basically a set of wings. It was fast, fitting for the informant who so often had to flee from the strongest man of Ikebukuro, but would wear him out. His hunting organ wasn't meant for prolonged battle.

Well, Shizuo could deny that the sudden onslaught of dangerous... feathers. They were meant to – and probably already have – killed humans and ghouls in the past.

The bikaku sprang out to defend its user, as suspected.

It was a tail, really. A long and translucent tail. It was a weak blue color, opposing Izaya's violent red. He had instinctively reacted to block the attack with his new appendage.

"Amazing, Shizuo!" Shinra called, "But you two shouldn't fight inside! How will I explain the mess to Celty?"

Izaya scoffed. "It's so brittle!" He complained. "You need to eat, and soon~!"

Making a face, Shizuo growled out a definitive: "No." Which was softened considerably by the loud growl his stomach made.

Izaya's ukaku retracted and he sat back down on the couch, throwing his arms behind himself. Shizuo was forced to keep standing since he had no clue how to get rid of the ridiculous tail. Actually, he was also afraid, with good reason. Once the tail was gone, he'd just be left with a hole through his pants. Why did his weapon have to come from his tailbone?

"You heard Celty," Shinra objected. Being a doctor, he would definitely be against someone willingly subjecting themselves to malnutrition. "Ghouls go crazy when starved," he warned.

Izaya's maliciously cheerful face morphed into a serious one for a second. "As much as I'd like to see Shizu-chan die," he murmured. "Starvation... is hell."

Shizuo Heiwajima thought that he was well over the age for a 'sleep over.' God, he was in his twenties. But, Izaya reluctantly agreed to train and feed him as long as he stayed with the Orihara twins.

The Orihara residence was solitary. It was bright, oddly, but it still felt solitary. Some kind of white brick. The inside was bright as well. Clean, well lit. Izaya opened the door and said,"After you, Shizu-chan!" Too cheerfully, too early in the morning. It was perhaps 10.

Both men took off their shoes and put them on the stand. Shizuo chose not to comment on his stupid looking poodle socks. For one of the three most dangerous men in Ikebukuro, Shizuo expected more... normal socks.

The living room and kitchen were combined. Everything was light colored. A stark contrast to the informant's garb. A sofa faced a sleek television. Nearby, a fully functional kitchen unit could be seen. No point to it...

There were doors all around, all closed and Shizuo didn't feel like spying.

"Look," Izaya says suddenly. "The sooner you cooperate, the sooner we can go back to normal, okay Shizu-chan?"

"Yeah, flea."

"Alright, then," he said. Popping open the refrigerator, Shizuo noticed that it wasn't just for the false sense of normalcy. Tupperware containing all sorts of human remains filled the appliance. "What do you feel like trying? Personally, I love the taste of eyeballs. The texture is wonderful too."

Shizuo thinks he's going to be sick. Can he really eat... another human being? Even if he's not quite human anymore, he's also not really a ghoul. He's somewhere in the middle. How lonely.

"Or maybe I have a better idea," Izaya mutters, seemingly to himself. Coffee.

The black haired man offered Shizuo a mug and he took it. Their 'truce...' They had to get along, at least for a little while. Until Shizuo adjusts and then he can murder that sick bastard. Coffee, Shizuo noticed. He takes a sip and it's even better than the previous cup that Celty had given him.

"It's... really good," he said suspiciously. "Did you poison it?"

Izaya sighs and his eyebrows shoot up. "Really, Shizu-chan?" He clicks his tongue. "You must think highly of my assassination skills, but I only put some sugar into it." He gestures to a delicate glass jar, filled with strange brown sugar cubes.

"It's an alternative my sisters came up with when I had to provide all of their meals," he remarks. "Blood added to sugar can lessen the hunger."

Shizuo felt sick to his stomach. He dropped the mug, breaking it and spilling blood-infused coffee onto the pure wooden floor.

"Ahh! Shizu-chan's really an uncoordinated monster to spill a drink like that!" The other man says, while grabbing some paper towels and drying up the mess. The blond has left a blemish in the otherwise perfectly pure, perfectly white home.

Izaya threw away the dripping wet wad of paper towels and crossed his arms. He was still wearing his jacket indoors. Shizuo felt the wave of anger hit him. Izaya didn't even gather the shards of the broken mug.

"You fed me coffee _with _some dead guy's blood!" he yelled.

"Well, yes," Izaya said, looking every bit as confident and self-assured as he always did. "Because you don't want to eat the only thing you can actually get your nutrition from! How'd you like it, if suddenly – I don't know – you attacked and ate a patron at that bar you work at. You probably would go to jail, where you'd rot to death in solitary confinement. If you're not killed beforehand."

He's talking to much. "Shut up," Shizuo commands but Izaya doesn't listen.

"Or, even better," the informant provides the information without a price. "You'd regain your senses and be taken to a mental institution, where you'd probably continue this vicious cycle." The pseudo-friendly, manipulative smile drops, making Izaya Orihara seem exhausted. "Look Shizu-chan. Make my life easier and either eat the meat offered or drink some coffee and my sisters will forcibly feed you meat."

Shizuo doesn't really have a choice, but he also doesn't want to abandon his humanity. Not yet. It was just too soon.

He sighed, taking off his sunglasses. "Fine flea, make me another cup of coffee."

Izaya nods, slightly. "Alright, protozoan. Just don't drop it this time."


	3. Chapter 3

"If I had believed in god  
>I would not have done the things you've done."<p>

* * *

><p>Shizuo refused to take a break from his job. He wasn't living in his tiny apartment anymore. At least for a while, he promised himself. He wouldn't burden those two nice, but strange girls longer than he had too. It was just temporary.<p>

"Are you sure about going to that ratty bar, Shizu-chan?" Izaya asks from his spot, reclining upside down on the couch. His hands fall limply to the wooden floor and Shizuo hopes for him to fall and hurt his head. "You can't even control your one Kakugan."

"Huh?" Shizuo Heiwajima said, very eloquently.

Izaya sighs. "Your eye," he said. "The one that turns red."

"Oh, yeah," Shizuo mutters, reaching for his sunglasses. Would the blue tint be enough to cover the gross eye?

"You should wear an eyepatch," Izaya said while wiggling his legs in the air. Could the man not stay still? He was 23. An adult. With his insistent jiggling and the stupid poodle socks, he didn't really seem like a human eating, information broker. Just seemed like an annoying man. "Nobody will suspect a thing, ne?" He said cheerfully. "You get into fights all the time!"

"Yeah, because you send fucking yakuza after me," Shizuo responded angrily.

Sitting up, Izaya kept his gleeful expression. "Well, Shizu-chan can't prove that in a court of law!"

"Where the hell are your sisters, anyway?" Shizuo asked and is given a shrug from the other man. Really, it was close to 6:30 and his shift at the bar started in half an hour.

"Hope they're not attempting to hunt again," he mused. "Mostly they don't kill their victims. Kinda traumatize them."

Izaya Orihara wasn't the ideal guardian for two fourteen year old ghouls. "Where are your parents then?"

The black haired man sprung up. "We should go and try to find an eyepatch before you head on to work, ne Shizu-chan?" The blond isn't stupid and noticed the hastily made change of subject. Touchy. Perhaps the Oriharas didn't get along with their children. He could see why with the flea. But those girls? How bad could they get?

* * *

><p>Very bad, Shizuo soon learned.<p>

His shift ended at 2 in the morning and the girls had stayed awake, waiting in anticipation.

"Shizuo!" Mairu called out in greeting. She and her sister looked similar to Izaya, but with lighter hair and lighter eyes. The twins wore matching outfits, even with a matching color scheme. "Welcome home! Iza-nii told us that you'd be staying with us. We got the extra futon out and all but we didn't know if you wanted to share a room with us or have your own."

"Hunger?" Kururi said.

"Oh, yeah," Mairu said. "Now that you mention it, Kuri, Shizuo does look really hungry! And Iza-nii says you don't want to eat anything. Tsk, tsk, what a waste."

Kururi calmly walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out one of the plastic containers. "Eat," she insisted.

"No," Shizuo declined. "I don't want to- mlfff!" Kururi wasn't taking 'no' for an answer. She grabbed the mystery human meat and shoved it into his mouth while he was speaking. She kept her hand over his mouth and nose until the need to breathe was stronger than his futile clinging to his former humanity. And... he hated to admit it, it was delicious. Better than sweet milk or even red velvet cake.

"And now you're good for a month or two!" Mairu said cheerfully as she reached into the fridge for more of the tupperware. The two girls cleaned out the refrigerator so quickly and Shizuo didn't know whether to react with horror or awe. He was still processing the fact that he had eaten somebody's flesh and blood.

"Iza-nii. Hunt," said Kururi.

"Ah, that's true. He needs to go hunting for more food... And soon," Mairu said thoughtfully. "You should go with him! Consider it a learning experience!"  
>"I have a hard enough time trying to wrap my mind around the fact that we need to eat people for food," he said. "I sure as hell don't want to see the flea kill someone that all of us will end up eating!"<p>

"Suicide," Kururi said. "and Shiki-san."

"Iza-nii collects bodies of people who killed themselves in his territory," Mairu said casually while looking hungrily at the leftover pools of blood in the containers. Would she drink that? "I mean, he stopped convincing people to jump once Shiki-san found out." Kururi nodded, but didn't add to her sister's statement.

"Your brother talked people into committing suicide?" Shizuo asked, eyebrows shooting up. "That's fucked up."

"That's our Iza-nii!" Mairu cheerfully proclaimed.

"Work tonight?" Kurui asked.

"Do you have work tonight?" Mairu translated.

"No," Shizuo said. He could have lied. Damn it, he should have lied. Curse his honesty and generally good nature.

"Then it's decided!" Mairu said. "You're going to on a hunt with Iza-nii."

* * *

><p>By hunt, she really meant follow the informant through some suspicious looking tunnels. The low table in the living room could be moved to reveal a secret door. That's where Izaya had come from, knocking some sort of code before his sisters opened up.<p>

Grinning, with his jacket zipped and hood up. He looked different, but Shizuo supposed that was just in case someone saw. Really, it was surprising just how rich the Orihara family was. For them to have tunnels running throughout Ikekukuro... and a small part of Shinjuku...

Shizuo could understand why. They couldn't afford to be caught carrying around corpses. If they were caught, what would they say? 'Oh yes, we can only digest human flesh.' They'd be locked up in no time.

"Oof," Shizuo grunted when he was hit by a very large bag.

"No spacing out on me, Shizu-chan," said the informant. "I know protozoans aren't very smart, but you could at least pay attention!"

Shizuo took a deep breath. Those anger management classes had to be of some use.

"Don't tell me I'm going to carry the bodies, flea," he said.

"Well, I guess I won't tell you," Izaya said. "I'm impressed that a brute like you figured my plan out! And so quickly, too! I suppose have ghoul organs in you did you good~!" He dodged the bag easily.

"I'm not a mule!"

* * *

><p>The tunnels underneath the city were dark and eerie. Shizuo held on tightly to the bag meant for their future meals. Izaya – rather used to the Orihara family's tunnels – skipped and hummed merrily.<p>

"You know, Shizu-chan," Izaya said suddenly. "If you get any more scared, your kagune will pop out!"

"I'm _not_ scared, you damn flea," Shizuo defended.

"Mmhmm," Izaya hummed. "That so?"

They walked the rest of the way in awkward silence. Who would have thought that these mortal foes would be 'grocery shopping' - as Izaya so tastefully put it – together. Izaya stopped suddenly and pushed at a board in the ceiling. It slid open, rather easily too, and he climbed out. Shizuo followed and saw that it was the alleyway where he had first discovered that Izaya was a ghoul.

"Don't tell me you're getting nostalgic, ne, Shizu-chan?"

"That wasn't an experience that you'd be nostalgic over, flea."

Izaya shrugged. "I'm an expert on humans. Not monsters."

"You're one to talk."

"I'm a ghoul, okay?" Izaya said, sounding annoyed and... not his usual self. "I have my own kind. You don't even have that. You're neither human nor ghoul. You're all alone, Shizu-chan."

That hit pretty hard with Shizuo, but he wasn't going to let that rest. "At least I have friends. You're the one that's alone. Even your sisters would gladly see you get hit by a bus to see my brother."

Izaya didn't look at him. Shizuo managed to hit a nerve. Good, he thought. But the silent informant was... strangely intimidating. They found three suicide victims. All teenage girls. Probably friends. Two were holding hands.

The two of them put the corpses into the bag.

Shizuo wondered what to do next, considering the informant wasn't speaking to him. It was Izaya's fault. He started it. What childish logic...

* * *

><p>Izaya walked him back from his 'territory' to the Orihara sisters' home and left without a word.<p>

Mairu and Kururi – to Shizuo's horror – were cutting and putting pieces of the corpses into tupperware. He had seen a lot of blood from fights and all, even to this day, but he'd never seen two fourteen year olds cutting _limbs _off of girls not much older.

"I'm... I'm going to go to sleep," Shizuo said, shaking his head.

"Good night," said Mairu. Kururi waved at him with a bloody hand.

His room was as white as everything else in the house. A futon was already spread out in on corner. Shizuo hadn't unpacked his luggage yet. Too lazy. Besides, he won't be here long. At least... That's what he hoped.

* * *

><p><strong>an: woow! thank you everybody for reading, favoriting/subscribing, and commenting! I hoped you enjoyed this chapter as well :) i'll try to update "Tragedy" once a week, probably on Fridays or Saturdays, as long as school stuff doesn't get in the way.**

_anon replies:_

me: ahh, thank you! o/o hehe, i guess this chapter answered your wondering. :))

I love you: haha, i was laughing to myself when i wrote that tbh. i guess you'll just have to wait and see if shizuo gets stronger ;)

Mie: let's just say there's some interesting people in underground tokyo


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Homing Instinct**

_You've got a tendency to bring a man down._

Mairu and Kurui – Shizuo learns – are called 'binge eaters.'

Basically, they ate more than what was necessary. But, as teenagers, they defended themselves stating that they needed the extra nutrition to form 'stronger kagunes' or something. Shizuo didn't really know. All he knew was that he was okay for the month.

He left the house the next day. Shizuo... he just needed to take a long walk and a smoke cigarette or five. Really, it was an expensive habit to keep. But the even more expensive habit of 'eating healthy and regular meals' cut out, Shizuo could afford to smoke more. Besides, ghouls couldn't get cancer. Shizuo could smoke, guilt free.

His walk around Ikebukuro hadn't gone unnoticed. No, Shizuo was being followed.

He could smell the other ghoul. Shizuo was absolutely certain it was a ghoul. Normal humans didn't really approach him, not with his temper. But the supernatural ghouls... When he was a human, his strength matched... even surpassed them. Shizuo guessed he'd just have to see if he became even stronger when he became part ghoul.

Shizuo walked into an alleyway. No use fighting in public. He had no clue what he'd say to a cop if they saw strange appendages coming out of them.

"I know you're following me," he growled out before turning around.

They wore a gas mask. Which is really suspicious. What the fuck were the cops doing, not stopping a gas masked individual. What if they were a terrorist? Not exactly the problem at the moment, but what could be assumed at first sight?

Their voice is muffled behind the mask, but it's clearly masculine. "Why do you smell so delicious?" the ghoul asked. "You're a ghoul, aren't you? Ghouls taste nasty."

"Look, don't mess with me," said Shizuo, completely ignoring the other. "If you try something funny, I won't hesitate to beat the shit out of you." His brutal strength could only have been magnified by the metamorphosis. Shizuo was a man of actions rather than words.

"Ey ey ey," the ghoul held up two hands in surrender. "No harm meant, dude!" Then he leaned it. "You... are you Shizuo Heiwajima? Yo, man!" The gas mask dude did some weird sort of jazz hands. "I thought I knew all the ghouls 'round 'Bukuro! Wow, this is amazing." Was he... a fanboy? Shizuo cracked his knuckles and the other freaked out. "Ohh, oh, please don't beat me up! A-a-are you looking for Orihara-san? I'm sure you are!"

That piques Shizuo's interest. "Flea's been here?"

"Ummm, well, where hasn't he been?" The gas mask dude shrugged helplessly. "I don't want to even try to stop him from waltzing in my territory. He may have a pretty face, but you know he's evil!" He wouldn't be the first to admit that Izaya was strangely pretty, but his overall terrible personality really ruined his chances for real friendship, instead of the twisted one he and Shinra had. But that was besides the point.

Shizuo ignored him. "Where'd he go?"

"Oh, uhh, he got in a car with some shady lookin' dude," the gas mask guy said, making exaggerated hand gestures. "Prolly yakuza. You know the rumors. But, dude, did ya get lucky or something? Ya smell like a lady."

Shizuo turned red and cracked his knuckles again.

"Sorry, sorry!" The ghoul begged for forgiveness.

Shizuo walked away. Yakuza, huh. He always knew that the flea was bad news. Shizuo just assumed it was because he was sneaky and a cannibal, but he was also involved with yakuza. Why would he do that? He had two younger sisters that could be seriously hurt by them... Well, his sisters also weren't normal so there was a good chance that they could take care of themselves...

He wondered off, shaking his head. Who the hell walks around with a gas mask on...

His sense of smell has only gotten better. He was almost overwhelmed by it; he could smell... everything so much better. So finding Izaya Orihara was more difficult. His scent had changed when Shizuo had changed. So, he sniffed, searching for the strong, sharp scent.

He found it. Older though, he could tell. Mingled with it was a strong and delicious scent... Shizuo shook his head. He did not just think that. His stomach whined lowly and he huffed. It wasn't necessary for him to eat more so soon.

Following the scent of the informant and whoever he was with, wasn't as hard as you would have thought. Sure, he had to take some strange twists and turns around the city, but it wasn't the first time he had done so.

A car.

A sleek white limousine to be exact. Who the hell had the money for that? Oh, yeah, that other guy had mentioned yakuza. Shizuo really didn't want to rescue Izaya from whatever trouble he was getting himself into... But he figured he should stick around to make sure nothing bad happened... for the twins.

Shizuo wandered into a coffee shop. Might as well buy a cup, he figured. He didn't really have anything better to do.

"Coffee... Black, please," he said to the cashier, who only smiled and nodded. The coffee... wasn't as good as the one he'd drank at the Orihara's house. Probably because this one was missing the blood-infused sweetener. He considered bringing some sugar cubes next time. It could pass for brown sugar, right?

The bell attached to the door sounded as someone came in.

"Oh, Shizu-chan!" Izaya said, coming to the seated bartender. "Thought you might be here!" The cashier looked up from her phone to smirk, but said nothing. Izaya pulled a chair from a neighboring table and straddled it. He leaned in and said,"Black coffee? Hmm, it's mediocre here at best. Next time, you should text me. I go to a lot of cafes."

Shizuo looked around, checking to see if anyone was listening. "What the hell are you doing?"

Izaya blinked, feigning innocence; as if the flea could ever be innocent. "Why Shizu-chan, I was about to order a cup for myself." He smiled. If an outsider was watching – did the cashier count? - they'd assume that two were friends. They were anything but.

Izaya sat back up. Good, thought Shizuo. He had been so uncomfortably close; who knew what diseases the flea carried?

"Working with yakuza?" Shizuo hissed. "You're messed up but I didn't think you'd risk your sisters' safety."

"And keeping me as a foe is keeping Kasuka-kun safe?" Izaya said slyly.

"Shut up," Shizuo said. "That's not the same. We don't mess with each other's siblings. Yakuza? I dunno anything about those shady fucks."

"How eloquent," Izaya snickered. "Shiki-san is quite the gentleman. Much too honorable to do something like that."

Shizuo finished up his cup of coffee and got up. Izaya followed, close by. If Erica could see those two be so amiable – well, as chummy as those two could get – she'd have a heart attack. Even the people of Ikebukuro watched on uneasily. Really, what had happened to have two of the strongest men in Tokyo – the ones who hated each other no less – all civilized. It was bizarre to say the least.

It was interesting. Shizuo walked like a normal human and Izaya skipped along. Honestly terrifying and confusing. Just an average day in Ikebukuro.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Bitter Taste **

_"__Deception and perfection are wonderful traits_

_One will breed love_

_The other hate."_

Shizuo woke up to a familiar scent of the flea... and blood.

His hair was probably a mess, but he got up to check what had happened. Were the girls okay? The bastard was sitting – well slouching – on the pristine sofa. His jacket was nowhere to be seen. A lazy smirk made its way onto his face when he saw Shizuo. "Ne, Shizu-chan," the informant slurred. "I'm surprised to see you in something besides your bartender outfit."

Wait. He was slurring? Shizuo could _smell _the blood hanging off of the flea. Somehow, Izaya had managed to get hurt. If only he had gotten smushed by one of those vending machines, Shizuo thought wistfully.

"I'm not going to sleep in a uniform," he grumbled. No, instead he had a loose white t-shirt and boxers. "Where's Kururi and Mairu?"

Izaya's eyes were closed but he shrugged. "Maybe school."

"You are so irresponsible." Shizuo shook his head.

One of the informant's hands clutched at his shoulder, but otherwise he didn't look like he was in pain. "You're not exactly one to talk, Shizu-chan," he said. "Do you know where Kasuka-kun is?"  
>"No," Shizuo admitted,"But he's an adult with a job, not a teenager."<p>

Izaya doesn't respond. He opened one eye. "Say, Shizu-chan... I think you should be careful tonight." How'd the flea know his work schedule? ...He was an information broker. Of course he'd know his archrival's schedule. But... why should the blond be careful?

"Who'd you piss off this time?" Shizuo asked. He didn't really care unless it'd affect him. He was so not going to fight the flea's enemies for him.

"Ah, you could say it was you who pissed them off."

There's silence before Shizuo erupts. "Whaaat did you just say, Izaya-kun?" He stomped on over to the black haired man and grabs him by the shirt collar. Again.

"Shizu-chan, S-shizuo, let go of me!" Izaya yelled, eyes turning into the eerie black and red combo. In shock, the bartender listened. Izaya's never had to raise his voice before. And rarely does he drop the stupid nickname. Something was wrong.

The shorter man clawed at his own shoulder.

"Look, Kichi-chan had some interesting friends, so lack of better words," Izaya said, narrowing his eyes. "They don't know she's dead and they're not going to be so happy to find someone who reeks of her."

Shizuo doesn't quite understand at first, but then it comes to him. "So? They beat you up?"

"No, but one bit a chunk out," Izaya said, creepily cheerful. "Disgusting, isn't he?" A chunk of the shoulder he'd been clutching at was missing; Shizuo could see the white of a bone. He almost throws up too. "Ne, Shizu-chan, did you hear that ghoul meat tastes terrible?"

Shizuo made a face. "Why would I ever even think about more cannibalism?"

Izaya smirked. Shizuo wanted to bash the man's head in. Really, the flea was finding too much joy in grossing him out. "But ghouls who eat other ghouls are stronger," he drawled out. "They form new kagune, kakuja, and most of them lose their minds before the new kagune is completely formed. How tragic."

"Do you really feel pity for them?"

The informant's eyes slid shut. "But of course... A mind's an awful thing to lose."

Shizuo stood there for a while before realizing that the damn flea had fallen asleep. "Who falls asleep in front of their enemy?" He grumbled to himself. Ridiculous.

But that was a nasty wound. Superglue wouldn't cut it. Ruffling his blond hair, he walked into one of the house's bathrooms and opened up the cabinets. There has got to be a first aid kit, he figured. But no. There wasn't a damn first aid kit in the entire house. Did they rely on Shinra for everything? Damn rich folks.

"Flea," he called out. "Why don't you have any first aid kits in your house. Don't you know that's dangerous."

"But ghouls heal reasonably fast?" a disoriented Izaya offered back. Clearly, he had just woken up from that ill timed nap. The gapping hole in his shoulder now had layers of muscle. Still gross, thought Shizuo. But at least the blond didn't have to try to help his mortal foe.

Shizuo rolled his eyes. "What if you got seriously injured? You don't have superglue or a first aid kit."

"Ahh, you see, that is why I have Shinra on speed dial," Izaya answered. Then, he furrowed his brows. "Wait... Superglue?"

"Yeah, you put it on your injury. Stops the bleeding."

Izaya looked equal parts horrified and disgusted. "Shizu-chan, that is definitely not what superglue was meant for."

Shizuo blinked. "Well, it works for me."

"And... just how haven't you died yet?"

Shizuo snorted. "Without your help. Really, you sent fricken' _gangs _after me in high school."

"You can't prove that," Izaya said quickly. There's a translucent layer of skin on his shoulder now, but the muscle can clearly be seen. Shizuo hoped he'd never have to see his own body in such a state.

"How'd you even have that guy take a bite out of you.?" Shizuo smirked. "Why'd you let him get so close?"

"Shut up," Izaya whined. "And there were multiple guys!" He tried to look at the eerily healing mass. "They even got my jacket." He pouted. For such a terrible guy to pout of all things... It creeped Shizuo out.

"Good," Shizuo said. "That jacket was ugly anyway."

Izaya gasped, offended. "You can't say anything about fashion! You wear a bartender suit every day!"

"So?" Shizuo said. "And you wear the exact same outfit every day."

"No! I have multiple pairs of jeans and shirts," he defended himself.

"Why?" Shizuo said, exasperated. "It's okay for me since it's my work uniform, but you really have no excuse."

"Haven't you read up on color psychology?" Izaya asked. "Black radiates authority and creates fear in the process, useful in my line of work. It also means power and control, hanging on to information. Also, black is sophisticated and mysterious!" He just liked hearing himself talk, Shizuo decided.

"Why would anyone bother to learn all that?"

"You're missing the fact that I'm an informant and knowledge is somewhat what guarantees my paycheck." He paused for a second. "Okay, what's your favorite color?"

"What kind of question is that!" They were so not bonding.

"An easy one," Izaya said. "Jeez, I knew you were a protozoan but come on!"

Finally, Shizuo answers. "Blue..."

"Loyal, honesty, and trust. Blue is a color that seeks peace and tranquility," Izaya recited from memory. "Huh. Funny how you spend your spare time trying to murder little old me."

Shizuo rolled his eyes. "I hate violence."

"Yes, mmhmm," Izaya said sarcastically. "I can see that in your actions, Shizu-chan."

"You sliced me up," Shizuo complained. "In high school. The very first time we met."

Izaya grinned and Shizuo really wanted to hurt him, but decided to let it slide since it wasn't every day that the mortal foes talked so... peacefully. Even if insults and threats were thrown in occasionally.

Hours later, when Shizuo went off to work, Izaya even told him "Be careful, you monster."

"As if you care, flea."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Circle**

_"__Someday back when we were young_

_I guess something just went wrong_

_The two of us are hung by the same twisted rope."_

Shizuo wanted to know if ghouls could get drunk. He watched the few patrons of the bar with a stern eye. They were so drunk, if they wanted another glass, Shizuo would have to decline. He didn't want them to push, though. He didn't know how long he could control his temper.

But, when he took a sip of some beer earlier, (sneakily too - he'd get in trouble for drinking on the job) it tasted just like garbage. Gross.

Shizuo would miss the occasional drink or two. He would not, however, miss the terrible headaches when he drank way too much. Shizuo didn't exactly know his limits. Now especially, due to his newfound ghoul abilities.

It was annoying how _freakin' _appetizing those drunk guys smelled.

But they were people with their own lives and families and friends. If Shizuo ate them – not even out of necessity – it would be a waste. But what about the person (people?) that he _had _eaten. Did their loved ones even know that they were dead and gone? Or did they hope everyday that Shizuo's last meal would walk in through their home's front door?

Guilt guilt guilt hit him like a pile of bricks.

Surrounded by a shit load of alcohol that made you want to throw up when you really needed to be drunk sucked, Shizuo decided.

* * *

><p>"You... wanna fight, Shizu-chan?" Izaya repeated for the second time. "You do realize that there are no vending machines or stop signs in the tunnels."<p>

Shizuo was already in a bad moon; his mortal foe's hesitance and doubt only worsened it. "Well I don't exactly know how to use this kagune thing and I think someone promised to train me."

Once again, Mairu and Kururi were nowhere in sight. It was just Izaya – an upside down Izaya – on the all too white couch, surrounded by various cell phones. All of those phones were on, and text tones rang every few seconds. The bartender _did not _want to see that guy's phone bill. Honesly.

Izaya made a whiney noise while getting up. He left all of the phones on the couch. "Fine," he said, stretching a little. Shizuo could hear a bone or two pop. Just how long had the guy been there? "Fine. Let's see who's really the strongest man of Ikebukuro, ne?"

The tunnels stretched in various directions underground so a chase was, in fact, possible. But, what Shizuo wanted most was to thoroughly trash Izaya.

Their fight was as violent as usual, if not more. Shizuo doesn't really know how to fight with his kagune; he doesn't doubt that he'll learn. He listened to his instincts, inherited from that now dead ghoul. Izaya's attacks are fast and precise but otherwise lacking in strength. Shizuo blocked them or simply dodged.

They are exhausted in the end, with no clear victor.

Just two monsters of men.

Izaya collapsed into himself, leaning on one of the tunnel's curved walls for support. He didn't seem to care about the dust and dirt getting onto his clothes. Well, they were also drenched in sweat and some blood.

Shizuo felt his bones aching. Their fight was more direct than any previous – with more injuries to both sides. Izaya's eyes were that disturbing black and red; his wounds healed at a painfully slow rate.

Shizuo could _feel _his one ghoul-eye pulsing. It wasn't painful, but... it just felt so surreal. He had left the eyepatch in the Orihara's living room. Walking around with no depth perception was somewhat strange for him. But nobody had brought up his new accessory.

His healing was much faster than the smaller man's. Perhaps it was because of the different kagune? Shizuo really didn't know too much about just what he now was and what it would entail.

Izaya's eyes met his and the dark haired man cracked a smile that just made Shizuo angry. How can someone exhibit such malice with a gesture meant to express happiness? His mouth opened and garbage spewed out as always: "Ne, Shizu-chan, are you done managing your anger with my body?"

Shizuo felt his face redden. "You're making it sound perverted!" he protested.

Izaya's face only continued smiling. "Well, I didn't mean it that way, Shizu-chan," he said lowly. He crawled forward, into Shizuo's personal space. "Interesting how your mind jumped to that first, ne?" Shizuo could smell the strong, sharp, sweet scent of the informant. It just smelled so nice, even if it came from the louse.

Shizuo pushed him away and got up. "Flea, don't mess with me."

From his sprawled out position on the floor, the informant let out a string of laughter. "Shizu-chan, you should have seen your face!" His laughter was ugly, harsh, loud. Not at all like the eloquent and dangerous information broker he made himself out to be. His laughter was more honest than he ever was.

"Shut up before I hit you."

"Again?"

Izaya got up, almost fluidly and began to walk back to the twins' house. Shizuo followed. Even though he could track Izaya by scent alone, he didn't want to be left in the creepy tunnels. He'd seen all those crazy horror movies.

Izaya put on his jacket once they were both inside. "Well, Shizu-chan," he said without looking back. "I have to go to a meeting just about now, so if you'd excuse me." He quietly gathered up all the cellphones, screens on with many alerts seen, and slipped them into his pockets. "Don't forget to watch your back..."

His parting message sounded vaguely threatening to the body guard. But with all the crazy stuff going on, he chose to trust his mortal foe.

* * *

><p>Shizuo seriously considered giving those two a curfew. Around 5 in the morning, the girls stumble home. Mairu was bleeding from her stomach.<p>

"W-what the hell happened?" Shizuo asked, louder than he had intended to. The girls were already shaken. He didn't want to frighten them even more.

"Attacked," Kururi informed.

"Some ghouls came out of nowhere!" said the wounded Mairu, stumbling to the refrigerator. She gorged herself on some human flesh to allow the process of healing to quicken. "It was crazy," she said with her mouth open and blood dripping down her chin. "But we got away."

"No follow."

"Yeah, we lost them by using some back alleyways!" She was oddly cheerful for someone who recently had been stabbed.

"Should I call Shinra?" Shizuo asked, his phone already in hand.

Mairu shook her head. "No, I'm pretty much healed anyway." The fridge was still open, and Shizuo closed it with more force than he intended on.

"Brother?" suggested Kururi.

Mairu shook her head again. "He's probably asleep about now," she said. She frowns a little. "Maybe in an hour or two when he's awake."

Kururi nodded, looking like she wanted to say something more. But she didn't.

Shizuo bit at his lip. _Don't forget to watch your back, _Izaya had said. But he hadn't warned him to watch out for his sisters while he was at it.

* * *

><p>Oh man! thank you guys for reading! we're over 1k reads c: I love reading comments from y'all and seeing when we have new followersfavorites. So i hope you enjoy reading the rest of this fic!


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: Nalsk**

_'Cause everybody's so scared  
><em>_We don't wanna go there  
><em> _We don't wanna make a move  
><em> _We got all our lives to lose  
><em> _Screaming in the dark while we just play our part out_ _I play along  
><em> _Like I don't know what's going on_

* * *

><p>"What?" Izaya's voice was scratchy through the phone. He sounded as if he had just woken up. Shizuo had to admit that it was pretty early in the morning. "Shizuo, could you repeat that again?" He sounded serious, and wide-awake now that the news had been dropped.<p>

Shizuo didn't fail to notice the forgoteen nickname. "Like I said," he repeated quietly. "The girls got attacked on their way home. Mairu was injured. Kururi's fine, but shaken up. They're asleep right now, on the couch." He'd hate to wake those poor girls up.

Izaya stayed quiet for a minute. Shizuo almost thought the informant hung up, but the flea continued. "I'll be over soon. Be prepared for a little retaliation, Shizu-chan."

Shizuo wasn't sure if it was... okay to leave the Orihara sisters all by themselves. Or even if he'd be back before they woke up. "Damn," he muttered. He had work today... He frowned before calling his boss. It'd be okay for him to take a sick day or two. Shizuo had plenty saved up.

Izaya unlocked the door quietly, wearing an identical jacket to the one he lost., if not a bit longer. When his eyes landed on the sleeping forms of his sisters, a blanket draped across their bodies, they filled with relief. Shizuo would've been worried if his brother was attacked so he could understand the uncharacteristic behavior. Nobody could be so heartless as to not care about their siblings' wellbeing... Even that piece of trash.

He gestured for Shizuo to follow him to the bartender's room. Izaya raised an eyebrow at the unmade futon, but said nothing about it. Had he even known that it was the bartender's room?

"Shizu-chan," he said,"just how good is a half-ghoul's sense of smell?"

Shizuo can definitely smell Izaya's alluring scent, and maybe recognize the twins. But otherwise, he found out, his sense of smell falls short of the informant's expectations.

Izaya shook his head. "So you can't smell _them?_"

"Huh?"

The black haired man clenched his jaw. "The attackers, those ghouls." He gnawed at his own lip. Shizuo wanted him to stop. It was making him nervous.

"No," Shizuo said slowly. "You can?"

Izaya snorted. "Half-ghouls don't have as good senses as full-blooded ghouls, noted." He scratched at his chin before continuing. "So the plan, Shizu-chan, is to track them down and then gather as much information as we can early on..."

"Right up your alley."

"I prefer watching humans," Izaya said before continuing. "But, the key thing is not to approach them until we have all the information about them."

"Really? Can't we just... beat them up and go?"

"No, no, Shizu-chan. That just won't do." He shook his head slowly. "We've got to make sure we know enough background on them, so that they won't dare to do something this outrageous again." Shizuo was sure that Izaya's eyes were glowing with bloodlust. ...So the flea really cared about his sisters. The bartender didn't really understand the Orihara family dynamic, but he would try to learn. "I want to know who they are, who they're working for, motives, etc. That way, we can properly assess them _before _taking them on."

Right. The informant did have a bunch of crazy schemes. Shizuo guessed that this one of the better intentioned ones...

"Yeah," Shizuo said. "You handle that..."

Izaya laughed expectantly. "I knew you were a protozoan." Then nodded. "I'll leave most of the brute force to you then, since we _are _specializing." He pulled out a phone and texted a message quickly. "Alright, canceled my appointments!"

Shizuo followed Izaya uneasily in the streets. He wasn't exactly _discrete_.

The two men walked into some bookstore. Shizuo looked around at the huge bookshelves. Plenty of books – both Japanese and foreign – were stacked up on the shelves. The scent of coffee hung in the air.

Izaya took a seat, confusing Shizuo. He pulled a book from one of the shelves and said,"Shizu-chan, be a dear and order us some coffee." The informant then looked down at the book and began to read.

Shizuo gritted his teeth. Why were they wasting time? This guy was one of the three most dangerous men of Ikebukuro and he was taking a coffee break while hunting down people who tried to kill his younger sisters.

There were other people in the cafe, but it wasn't as crowded as one would expect.

A few people alone sat at tables, nursing their coffees with random novels. Maybe there were a few couples on dates, but honestly Shizuo had no clue why they were there.

"Hi," he said awkwardly to the barista. "Two black coffees."

The girl looks pretty average. Average height, average hair, with a standard coffee shop uniform. "Plain?" She asked. "Are you sure about that...?"

He nodded and pulled out his wallet. Damn Izaya making him pay for his coffee. That flea was well off; he could have paid for himself!

"Oh, but you have to pick the roast too," she informed.

He shrugged. "Whatever's fine." Shizuo paid and the barista would bring over the order when it was ready. Izaya has already gotten a few chapters into that book he had picked up when Shizuo sat back down.

"Why are we even here?" Shizuo growled out. They're so wasting their time.

Izaya rested his head on his arm. "Wow, your sense of smell is that bad? Or... maybe you just don't recognize it yet?"

Shizuo waited impatiently for the louse to continue.

"Everyone here is a ghoul."

Shizuo blinked a few times. Then he looked around frantically. All the people there... They looked just like normal humans. But, instead, they were monsters who _ate humans. _And he was considered to be one of them.

"Ghouls look very similar to humans," Izaya said. "Other than the changing eyes and hunting organ... Of course you wouldn't really be able to tell who's who." He looked back to the book. "Coffee's here."

The coffee was really good, high quality. Shizuo almost burned his tongue.

"For example..." Izaya said, after the barista had left. "Take that man in the grey suit, sitting by himself in the corner..." Izaya didn't look up, but he was accurate – as expected of the informant.

"What about him?"

"He's one of the men that attacked my sisters," he said lowly.

"What?" Shizuo whispered angrily. He didn't want them to get kicked out of this place, with its wonderful coffee and comfy chairs. But, he wouldn't mind getting them kicked out if he could beat the shit out of that guy.

"Shhh," Izaya said. "We're here to observe, not retaliate just yet..." He got up suddenly. "Shizu-chan, stay."

They stayed for a while. Shizuo was pretty bored, so he flipped through a few pages of some creepy horror story.

But, Izaya got up and Shizuo followed suit.

Walking through the street, Izaya pulled out one of his multiple phones and fiddled with it.

"What now?"

"Information gathering about that guy, mostly," he said with a shrug. "I wonder if he realized I was there... Probably not. Coffee's about strong enough to cover my scent." Shizuo wondered if that was true. He could smell the terribly strong scent of Izaya's even before he had turned into a ghoul. "Yours... not so much."

"Huh?"

"Oh, your scent is pretty strong... and unique," the man informed. "Also, if he's connected in any way to our deceased Kichi-chan, then he'd probably smell you."

"So you pretty much used me like bait." Wow, how rude. At least the flea could have told him that plan...

"It was somewhat of a 'in-the-moment' decision."

"So, is he going to track me down to fight or something?"

"That's a possibility," said Izaya.

"Then you should probably continue training me."

* * *

><p><em>to the anon: ahh, thanks for the review c: you should totally read the manga! but, it's pretty gory and there are some messed up things that happen, but it's so great and i recommend it to everyone i meet, generally!<em>


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Gourmet Food**

* * *

><p><em>Can't you feel the knife?<em>

* * *

><p>Izaya's strength mostly lied in his speed and intellect. Shizuo only had his brute strength. So, who'd win each round depended on how long they'd fight. Izaya... grew exhausted much faster so they had to take frequent breaks.<p>

"Flea, you out of shape or what?" Shizuo asked during one break.

Izaya's breathing was heavy. "Ukaku-type kagunes, however fast they may be, decrease stamina horribly in the long run. Your bikaku has no particular strengths or weaknesses," he recited.

"Gee thanks."

"I'm only stating the facts, Shizu-chan."

Shizuo stretched and heard a few of his joints pop. He was pretty tired too. And he had work tomorrow. "I think we sparred enough today," he said. Even though Shizuo was a new ghoul, his instincts haven't failed him... Yet. And he can't wear Izaya down too much.

"Fine," Izaya said, getting up. "Let's drink some coffee while I brief you on the guy. Information is power."

The coffee was strong. Izaya sat across from him at the kitchen table, watching him add the bloody sugar to the bitter drink.

Shizuo stirred the drink as Izaya spoke. "His name is Sugiyama Naomichi. Second child in his family. Older sister's dead, though. He's connected to several dubious organizations-"

"Like you're one to talk," Shizuo butted in.

"True, but I tend to stick to yakuza," Izaya explained. "Sugiyama-kun, however, seems to run a restaurant."

"That's like the opposite of _dubious_, Izaya," Shizuo said.

Izaya rolled his eyes. "No, no," he said. "It's a restaurant... for ghouls. But not just any ghouls, upperclass, rich ghouls who have money to throw around!" Shizuo raised his eyebrows. Izaya wasn't exactly one to talk.

"So... like... They serve human flesh for food?" he asked. "How do they get away with that?"

"Bribery, mostly towards health inspectors who turn a blind eye," Izaya said, taking a sip of his unsweetened coffee. "And the restaurant is invitation only, so most normal folk don't really know what goes on behind closed doors."

Shizuo nodded. "But, do we really need to know about the restaurant?"

"Shizu-chan," Izaya whined,"information gathering is literally my job. I get paid for this. Of course I'm going to get more information that what is necessary." He finished up the cup of coffee and quickly glanced at the clock. "Well, protozoan, it's getting late and I have business to complete..." He winked. "Bye bye."

* * *

><p>He woke up late. Not so late that he'd miss work, but still considerably late. Kururi was at school, but Mairu was skipping the day. Shizuo didn't have time to yell at her. He had to get ready for work.<p>

His shower was ice cold and he hated it, but Shizuo was in a hurry. He didn't have time to carefully adjust the temperature.

His shirt stuck to his skin and the bowtie was crooked. "Mairu!" he said. "Why aren't you at school."

The girl shrugged. "Didn't feel well."

"Does your wound still hurt?" he asked while drying his hair with a towel.

"Kinda," Mairu answered. "But it's all healed up, so..."

"Do you want to visit Shinra? He could help," Shizuo offered. If she was fine physically, could it just be a mental thing?

She shook her head. "No... I think I'll be fine."

Shizuo nodded slowly while tying his shoes. "Well... If you need anything, you have my phone number... You can always give me a call."

Mairu smiled, but Shizuo could see a lingering hand on her stomach.

He doesn't have time to comfort the teen and he rushed out so that he wouldn't be late to work. The bar was not very busy, as usual, but the other bartender would kill him if he made the guy work longer than his shift.

The night was relatively quiet – just a few of the regulars...

...And the dude from the bookstore cafe. He got up and slid into a stool directly in front of Shizuo with a predator-like smile on his face. "Heiwajima-san," he said cooly, leaning forward. "What a unique scent..."

"...How did you know my name?" Shizuo said quietly.

"You didn't think Orihara was the underground's only informant, did you?"

Honestly, he was the only one Shizuo could think of.

"Why are you here, Sugiyama-san?" he asked.

The man smiled toothily. His teeth were perfectly straight and white, but there were... chunks of something between his teeth. His fellow ghoul needed to floss badly. He pulled out a dainty and petite envelope. "I'm here to extend an invitation to a dinner party," he said smoothly. "Ghouls should stick together, don't you think?"

Shizuo didn't reach out to grab that thing. He didn't want to go to this crazy dude's restaurant.

"No thanks."

"Say, Heiwajima-san..." Sugiyama paused. "...Isn't Kasuka-san off filming that new movie of his. He should be in Hong Kong right now... Shame if something would happen on set, right?"

Such a thinly veiled threat. Something the flea would say, no doubt. He reached out and took the stupid envelope as Sugiyama continued the stupid smiling.

"Please do honor us with your presence tonight."

* * *

><p>The invitation gave him the address and time.<p>

Still, 3 am was pretty late for a _dinner party. _Honestly, Shizuo wasn't even hungry. But he was being blackmailed into this thing, so for Kasuka's sake, he'd deal with the rich idiots.

The restaurant looked more like some wealthy person's house. It had to be two stories, painted a soft crème color. Shizuo had to walk up a path to get to the entrance. The door contrasted with its dark wood, stained even darker. Shizuo rung the bell and almost immediately, it was opened by an old man.

Shizuo took a step back. This old man – probably the butler – was wearing a mask. "Enter," he said in a monotone voice. He had no choice but to follow.

The room he was led to had a bathroom connected but otherwise... nothing much.

"Please do take a shower," the butler said robotically. "Clothes have been left for you. We hope you will find them agreeable."

Even though Shizuo had never been to a fancy restaurant, he was pretty damn sure normal ones don't have their clientele shower before a meal.

The tuxedo he was given is more formal than the bartender suit he normally wore. He struggled to tie the tie properly, and gave up. It was a little lopsided, but Shizuo didn't want to snap so early in the evening over something so simple.

Shizuo stood, confused and alone for a brief minute before there was a knocking at his door.

The butler let himself in and nodded at the blond. "It appears you are done. I will lead you to your party."

There were too many hallways, Shizuo decided. All long with random twists and turns. Finally, it opened up to a large waiting room. In the center was a table, draped with a fine table cloth. And seated at the table were three people.

...He could smell someone very familiar.

Amongst the humans, sat Izaya Orihara.

He was dressed in a very white suit, the complete opposite of Shizuo's black one. Seeming to know when he was being stared at, he turned and locked eyes with Shizuo. "Ahh, Shizu-chan!" he called out, standing up. "I saved you a seat!"

...How did he know Shizuo would be coming?

Never mind. It didn't matter.

He walked over, unsettled by just how much noise those new shoes made, and took the seat. The two other guests seated were women. One was incredibly happ in a glittery purple dress. The other looked uncomfortable in her yellow gown. Her black hair was pulled up in a messy bun. There were coffee mugs in front of the four.

The coffee smelled good.

Shizuo saw both girls drinking from the mugs quietly. Izaya – however - didn't touch the mug. Honestly, Shizuo has only seen him eat once... What would they serve for dinner? Shizuo reached out to pick up the mug when Izaya not-so-subtly knocked into him.

The mug was sent on a collision course with the ground where it ultimately shattered.

"Oops," said Izaya, with a smile on his face.

"What the fuck, flea?" Shizuo screeched out, standing up. The two women looked at each other... in fear? For comfort?

Then the floor shook and slowly rose up. The room they were in worked just like an elevator!

And the newly unveiled dining room looked a lot similar to a Roman Colosseum. People – all masked, all ghouls – sat in stands, watching. A very Caesar-like Sugiyama was crowned with a laurel wreath.

"Esteemed guests," the man called out. "Our dinner tonight is fairly unique. We have two human women, Saionji Nyokyo-san and Kikui Shika-san. Saionji-san is on the plump side, but her meat is sure to be fatty and delectable. A fair warning that Kikui-san refused to take a shower before dressing up, so she will be washed before being served."

The woman in the yellow dress, Kikui, fell to the ground, sobbing in horror. Her companion was frozen by fear.

"Along with these humans, we have two ghouls." A loud disapproving murmur broke out. This was a whole other level of cannibalism, Shizuo thought. He should have expected this. "Ahh, yes. Ghouls generally taste horrible... But take a deep breath... Heiwajima-san smells like a female ghoul but he is anything but! A strange dessert. Chrome-san's scent is very sweet and his meat will likely be as sweet and delicate. He will serve as our palate cleanser."

"They're ghouls," the purple lady said to the yellow, backing away.

Izaya smiled calmly. "So this is what goes on in the restaurant... Huh."

"Did that guy call you 'Chrome?'"

"Well, I didn't want him to connect 'Orihara' to 'oh, shit, I attacked his sisters,'" Izaya said.

"Why didn't he recognize you though? There's not that many people who don't know you in Tokyo?"

Izaya shrugged. "People tend to believe what they want to believe." A pause. "Was it because I changed my jacket?"

A rattling sound of chains stopped their conversation as they turned to seek the source. An extremely tall, extremely thin man stumbled out of a specially made door. He carried a rusty looking knife in one spidery hand.

"Butcher EE," called out Sugiyama slowly,"please do cut them up nicely."

That thing's name was on the pathetic side, but his speed was nothing to joke about. And his every step created a miniature crater.

Kikui was still crying while Nyokyo stood, face locked in a grim expression. Those two humans... They couldn't be left alive. They knew that Izaya and Shizuo were ghouls. They knew that ghouls were real and not some urban legend. In a sick way, it was good that those two weren't trying to run or fight.

Nyokyo's head rolled off her her skinny neck. Shizuo could feel the warm blood splatter across his face before he registered her sudden death. He wiped away the blood with his hand and felt the urge to lick to. He bit his lip and felt nausea well up. She just died, and his first reaction was to _eat _her corpse.

The remaining lady scrambled to her feet and ran away while screaming her lungs out – a logical reaction.

Butcher EE cocked his head, standing up from his crouched position by the dead woman. Before he could get to her, Izaya shot out. His kagune was warped and really freaky looking. Almost translucent... Shizuo thought it looked pretty fragile.

Pale red feathers sliced at the Butcher.

He freaked out when he saw his own blood, which gave Izaya more time to fight him.

"Shizu-chan," the flea called out. "Don't just stand there!"

The blond man released his kagune. That's when loud gasps of shock and horror broke out. Shizuo touched his face... Shit. He'd never put the eyepatch back on after the shower.

EE let out a weird muffled screech. "Faa- Father!" he called out, voice high and reedy. "EE is bleeding! Bleeding!" He wasn't even focused on the two opposing ghouls anymore. Such a weak man... No, he was more similar to a child.

Sugiyama was the leader. That much is clear. But, when the guy jumped into the middle of the arena... It's not expected whatsoever.

"Ladies and gentlemen and all other esteemed gentlepeople," he simpered at the panicking crowd. "The two ghouls have been taken off tonight's menu. But... I do not wish to take away from the feast." He plunged his hand into EE's chest, right where his heart would be.

"Father?" the confused monster-child called out.

He brought the other hand to the gaping wound and ripped his own pseudo-child in half. Blood splattered across the four living people. "Enjoy Butcher EE for your main course instead! Top quality meat: low in fat!"

Shizuo glanced at Izaya, only to notice that the man's pure white suit had been stained red from the bloody shower. Shizuo looked back at Sugiyama, ready to fight. But the two ghouls could not possibly fight off the entire restaurant.

"Did you two enjoy the show, Chrome-san? Heiwajima-san?" he said, continuing the fake smile.

"No," Shizuo growled out.

"You would eat a ghoul?" Izaya asked, his eyes still black and red. "You know very well what happens when a ghoul eats another of its kind, Sugiyama-san."

The man's eyebrows rose. "You of all people believe in _kakuja_ ghouls?"

Shizuo had no clue what the hell those were, but the way those two spoke of it... It couldn't be anything good.

Izaya shrugged. "You never know," was his answer. "Now... what will you do with Kikui-chan?"

"Cook her up, of course. Would you care to stay?"

Izaya's smile remained plastered on his face. "I'd rather not hang out with someone who tried to eat me."

"Heiwaijima-san?"

"I agree with... Chrome."

"Pity," said the freak, raising his hands to show helplessness. "Perhaps... another time then?"

"I don't care for gourmet food," said Izaya in a bored voice. Shizuo wondered what exactly that guy did like to eat then...

* * *

><p><em>to BeatoSama: i update biweekly :)) thank you for your review! yes, in the original draft i had for this, i had Shizuo be the ghoul but i thought that Izaya would fit into that world easier. since these two have such an extreme relationship in the animemanga/novels i thought it'd take a bit before they'd actually be romantic or anything so heh... but aww, you're so sweet!_

_thanks for reading, as usual! ;)_


	9. Chapter 9

Mairu and Kururi were at home when Shizuo and Izaya walked in through the tunnel's hatch. Their eyes immediately found their brother's and their mouths formed a perfect 'o's.' Kururi's nose wrinkled. Yeah... Shizuo and Izaya both reeked of gore.

"Iza-nii!" called out Kururi, alarmed at the massive amount of blood. "...Human?"

"What happened?" Mairu said.

Izaya pulled at the now red jacket. "Yes, human blood... Doesn't make that bad of a dye, right?" He smirked, which was totally unnecessary. The girls had probably just woken up, judging by the fact that they were still wearing their pajamas. The tv made for some interesting background noise. One of Kasuka's films were playing... Well the Orihara twins were superfans, ready to kill their own brother if they could meet Shizuo's.

"You avoided the question, big bro," Mairu said. "What happened?" Her hand ghosted over her stomach. Kururi looked at her and pursed her lips.

Izaya sighed. "We checked out the Ghoul Restaurant. Not a very nice place if you ask me."

The twins leaned forward, waiting for more.

"Some dude, maybe the leader of the ones that attacked you guys, also brings humans to have them killed in front of an audience and eaten," Shizuo said. "And we were put on the menu."

Mairu gasped but Izaya didn't really acknowledge his brush with death. "Ne, Shizu-chan, you just had to spoil my fun."

"Whatever flea."

"Kururi, do you recognize the scent?" asked Izaya.

"Attacker," agreed the girl.

"Oi, Izaya, why are you asking questions you already know the answer to?" asked Shizuo.

"I'm checking. You see, Shizu-chan, while you have the worst sense of smell, Kururi has the best!" Izaya made an elaborate hand gesture, but it was hard to take the man seriously. His clothes stuck to him like a second – albeit grotesque -– skin.

The sleepy girl nodded. "Best," she echoed.

Shizuo shook his head. "Why are they even after you... and your family?"

Izaya raised his hands in an 'I surrender' gesture. "The Ghoul Restaurant and a yakuza consisting of only ghouls are both connected by our charming Sugiyama-san. And they happen to be within the Awakusu Kai's territory. They must have heard that 'Orihara Izaya' was investigating them on the behalf of Shiki-san, and wanted to stop him. Unfortunately for them, they only know me as 'Chrome' and don't actually know that Chrome doesn't exist."

Both sisters nodded while narrowing their eyes. It's uncanny how the three siblings have the same reactions to information...

"Awakusu Kai?" asked Shizuo before frowning. "So you do work for yakuza!" He huffed. "I can't believe I didn't believe in those rumors."

Izaya blinked a few times. Then his face broke out into a smirk. "Aww, you believed in the good in me, didn'tcha?"

"Hell no! I just didn't think you were stupid enough to get involved with those guys," he said. "Selling information to regular people is dangerous enough!"

Izaya's laugh was more like a demented giggle. His sisters winced uncomfortably. Their brother was a little too much most of the time... All of the time... He stopped abruptly. "Mairu, I do have some clothes lying around here somewhere, right? I'm afraid I'll give my neighbors a heart attack if I show up covered in blood first thing in the morning."

Mairu's eyes found the ceiling while she seemed to retrieve the needed information. "Some sweats, maybe." He doesn't live with them. Why does he expect them to keep his clothes around?

Izaya frowned. "I suppose looking as unthreatening as possible is better than looking like a serial killer."

"You don't want to look like what you actually are?" Shizuo asked.

Izaya actually pouted. "Shut up, Shizu-chan." He turned back to his sister. "I call first dibs on the shower!" Only one of the two bathrooms has a shower. The other has a bathtub, but Shizuo would rather wait.

...Shizuo waited a painfully long half-hour for Izaya to finish using the shower.

He didn't want to sit – what if he stained something? ...Who decided to purchase white furniture in the first place?

The flea reentered the living room, dressed in a sweatsuit a size or two too large, and Shizuo walked into the bathroom.

The shower looked like the scene of a murder. Shizuo scowled. That damn louse didn't even clean up after himself. Shizuo grabbed the detachable nozzle and sprayed at the blood. He wasn't the cleaning lady. He shouldn't have to clean up after that spoiled man! After cleaning the inside of the shower, Shizuo needed to clean himself.

Shizuo winced at the cold water. He adjusted the faucet, but the water stayed uncomfortably icy. Damn that louse... He had used all the hot water. Shizuo sighed and washed the blood out of his hair. He'd kill the flea later.

He dressed himself in his pajamas. He rubbed at his eyes. Shizuo needed to catch a few hours of sleep.

* * *

><p>His phone woke him up.<p>

"Shinra," Shizuo yawned out a few hours later. "It's too early for me to be awake."

"Shizuo, it's well past noon," Shinra said. The underground doctor called his cellphone (almost giving Shizuo a heart attack) and woken him up. "That's not too early."

"Yes it is, considering I had 0 sleep last night," Shizuo growled. Damn that flea. Damn that Sugiyama. And damn Shinra for waking him up. He scratched his head.

"Woah, really?" said Shinra, curious. "Are you okay? You should come over to mine and Celty's place! I mean, that won't solve your lack of a good night's sleep, but still."

"Later, Shinra," said Shizuo before hanging up and returning to his fitful dreams.

* * *

><p>Awakusu-kai.<p>

How could some of the younger members betray the strongest yakuza group? For what? To cash in on the threat of an all ghoul mafia? Why would they even trust those ghouls? Humans were nothing but food to them.

"Nice of you to call me in today," Izaya beamed at Shiki.

The man – a lot older than the flea – is surrounded by bodyguards. They need him for information, but they cannot trust Izaya. Who would trust a ghoul? What if he was a double agent? He didn't work solely for Awakusu-kai. He could be working for the White Gate...

Shiki only saw another use for the young man.

Garbage disposal.

Shiki reclined on the sleek sofa. "You know why you're here, Orihara-kun."

"Yes, yes," said Izaya. "For a feast."

Shiki shrugged. "If you want to call it that." Then, he snapped his fingers and his men brought in a few of the group's traitors. They kicked and screamed to no avail. They didn't smell good. No... Shiki smelled much better – mainly because the man took care of himself. Izaya could smell the drugs and alcohol in their blood and organs... They wouldn't taste very good... But, he didn't want his sisters - or Shizuo, to an extent – to eat such foul food.

"Thanks for the meal," Izaya muttered, crouching next to one of the men. He had blue eyes... Circle lenses? The ghoul frowned before snapping the man's neck. He'd rather not eat someone's contacts so he gouged out the man's eyes next. He'd save them for later... Maybe a snack? After he'd peel the lenses off, of course.

Izaya killed them quietly and quickly. He who loves humans... It's terrible that he had to eat them.

Shiki and his men watched the one-man-buffet, disgust in the mens' eyes. Shiki didn't show his true feelings about the whole cannibalism thing. Probably was okay with it, just for the convenience. The Awakusu-kai didn't have to worry about disposing of bodies when they were connected with a ghoul like Orihara.

Shiki clicked his tongue. "This is what will happen to you if you betray me," he said to the men standing by his sofa. "Don't let me catch another one of you helping the White Gate ever again." He dismissed them with a wave.

Now the two of them were alone.

Shiki crossed his legs at the knee. He just gave off the scent of power and self-assurance, not typical for a human. It was so fascinating!

"You didn't save anything for your sisters," Shiki observed.

"Those guys who betrayed you used a lot of drugs and drank plenty of alcohol... Pretty recently too," Izaya said, licking at his chapped lips. "Perhaps that's what the White Gate bribed them with... Though it doesn't seem like enough reason to betray the most powerful yakuza in Tokyo. You, of course, could have provided them with their vices, Shiki-san."

Shiki nodded. "You still haven't gotten more information yet?" Izaya already told the man that the Ghoul Restaurant and the White Gate were linked by Sugiyama. Unfortunately, there was little info about the man online. Izaya needed to investigate in person. ...With a disguise...? Perhaps.

"No," he answered.

Shiki's eyebrows rose. "You better not be lying and working with Sugiyama-san, Orihara-kun."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about me working with him," Izaya said. "I tend to not help people who try to eat me."

"Ghouls... can eat other ghouls?"

"Yes, Shiki-san," Izaya said. "Ghouls can eat other ghouls, but normally they taste just as bad as human food. Eating other ghouls will cause a sharp increase in the RC cells, and create a new hunting organ. Using this new hunting organ before it fully develops causes lapses in judgement, memory, and so on, but is generally more powerful." Izaya gave the information out for free and Shiki took it in.

This man who was the living definition of the word 'strong' looked jealous for a mere second. "Have you, Orihara-kun?"

Izaya avoided eye contact. "Of course not, Shiki-san," he said. "A mind is a terrible thing to lose."

* * *

><p>It was cold out. The seasons were changing. Soon... it'd be winter time. Izaya hated winter. It was just too cold for him. He might have enjoyed the season more if he wore a thicker jacket... or even closed the ones he had from time to time. But no, he settled for style instead of function.<p>

Izaya didn't drive. He mostly walked or took public transportation.

It was strange. Actually being able to go about Ikebukuro without the brute screaming his name and throwing things at him... Other people noticed too. They stared. They whispered. But nobody did dared to meet his eyes. The price of being one of the three dangerous men of Ikebukuro, he supposed.

If only the White Gate hadn't attacked his sisters... He might have actually helped them... Izaya didn't have any acquaintances that were fellow ghouls. Real ghouls, not artificial ones like Shizuo... And were they even acquaintances? More like, former mortal foes that have somewhat adapted to having the same diet.

There was no solution but to destroy them from the inside, right?

He didn't need Shiki's help for that.

* * *

><p><em>thanks for reading!<em>

_we've got 2,300 hits on this fic which is really impressive, like yo. i can't believe my eyes. so this update is technically 2 chapters, mainly because they were really short and i didn't wanna cheat u guys out of your biweekly dose of the ghoul au. but yeah, hope you enjoyed! :))_


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Scar**

_People in the Middle_

* * *

><p>Shizuo examined his abdomen. There's an angry red mark from his surgery. It wouldn't heal, wouldn't disappear, even with his new superhuman healing rate. It's just there and it offended him... Reminding him of how his humanity had been stripped away without his consent.<p>

"Shinra," he said. "Will this ever, you know, get better?"

It wasn't the only scar on his body. He had plenty from his fights with Izaya. (In his defense, the flea moved fast and had that damn switchblade.) But, this new scar is definitely the angriest and ugliest looking.

Shinra frowned and pushed back his glasses. "I'm afraid not, Shizuo," he answered. "But, on the plus side, that'll be the last of your scars." They were both seated in Shinra's living room. Two cups of coffee rested on the table. A mug of tea was set for Celty, whenever she got home.

"Oh." He wasn't sure just how to feel about that. On one hand it was great that he didn't have to worry about Kasuka's reactions to his injuries, but on the other... he had to fucking eat people.

"Hey, Shizuo," said Shinra. "You know what's really cool about ghouls?" Oh no, the doctor was excited now. When Shinra got excited, things generally became dangerous. "Ghouls can't be hurt by things like guns or knives!"

"Shinra, I got stabbed through the hand with a pen and I didn't feel it," he growled out. Was Shinra telling him he had a ghoul attribute from the very beginning?

"No, no, no," he said, shaking his hands rapidly. "Knives or guns or whatever can't cut or bruise or physically harm you."

Shizuo's eyebrows rose. ...Why didn't Izaya tell him this? This was kinda important. "...Really?" He wouldn't have to try to superglue cuts anymore? And that flea couldn't randomly stab him anymore... Even better.

"Unless they're coated with a layer of RC cells," Shinra admitted. "That would in fact hurt you."

"RC cells," Shizuo repeated. The term sounded familiar, but he didn't remember what they were.

"You have a relatively low level of them," muttered Shinra. "Though, if you want to increase them and make your kagune stronger, consider eating ghouls." He smiled benevolently but his words were chilling. "I'd love to see some of that kind of cannibalism. That seems like it'd be interesting..."

"Shinra," said Shizuo. "Stop while you're ahead. I don't even want to eat humans, and here you are telling me to eat ghouls. That's like double the cannibalism! I don't even know what to call it... Does that even count as cannibalism? What am I, really? Human? Or ghoul?"

"Shizuo Heiwajima. You're Shizuo Heiwajima," said Shinra. "It doesn't matter what species you technically are. You're the bartender friend of mine with a short temper and a big heart."

"That's- that's sweet of you, Shinra," Shizuo said. He was lucky to have such good friends like Shinra and Celty. They were strange and sometimes really weird, but... weren't all the people of Ikebukuro like that...?

"Aww, don't you start to cry!" Shinra teased.

"Okay, that's enough," said Shizuo, rubbing his temples. His phone rang out a jingle. Someone texted him...

"Ooh, who's that?" asked Shinra. "A ghoulfriend?" He laughed at his own terrible pun.

"It's Izaya."

"Close enough," whispered the underground doctor, just asking to get beat up by the stronger man..

The text read simply: 'It's Izaya. Going underground. Please take care for my sisters, Shizu-chan! ( ﾉ ´ ヮ ´) ﾉ *: ･ﾟ✧ '

"Looks like he's doing something shady," Shizuo mentioned, putting away the phone without bothering to he needed to be told to take care of those girls. Izaya wasn't a responsible caretaker; Shizuo at least took great care of Kasuka! (Ignoring that one time he tried to throw the fridge at him. He could control his temper much better now! He had been dealing with the flea for a while without attempting to murder him.)

"But when isn't he doing something shady?" Shinra asked. "He is an informant plus he also eats people."

Shizuo brushed a hand through his blond hair. He needed to dye it soon... The roots were showing.

"When's Celty coming back?" Shizuo asked. He needed to change the topic... The headless woman was out on a job when he first came over an hour ago. Was it really taking that long?

Shinra frowned. "She should have gotten home by now... It was just a quick delivery job for the Awakusu-Kai..."

"She works for them too?" Shizuo asked. Who else worked for that damn yakuza?

"We sometimes do business with them," says Shinra. "It's a funny story... Ah you see, Shiki-san, their leader, actually has a copy of my apartment key..."

Shizuo raised one eyebrow. "Okay, so, pretty much everyone I know is working for this Shiki-san. Great. What else? Oh, let me guess, Simon's a ghoul."

Shinra smiled awkwardly. "Well, um, actually..."

"No."

"But yes. That was a really good guess, Shizuo. You should purchase some lottery tickets," suggested Shinra.

"This would explain why he thought those sushi combinations would taste good..." Shizuo muttered. "Why couldn't I stay with Simon?" He ignored the horrible advice.

"Look, Shizuo, I never told you just who brought you and Kichi-chan in," he said, referring to that horrible surgery that had changed his life. "It was Izaya. He rushed you over and told me to save you. Like, I didn't need any encouragement; you're my friend, I would save you no matter what. But I also kinda want my two friends to stop trying to kill each other and all, so I might have kinda forced you two to get along and all, but come on! Like for real, Erica's right!"

"What?" What has Erica said...? What was she right about?

"Oops! I've said too much," said Shinra, covering his mouth. "You'll find out on your own," he continued. "Hopefully, if she's right..."

Celty slammed the door closed at that moment and Shinra jumped up. "Celty, my dear, welcome home! –Ahh-!" He screamed in shock, noticing the rips and blood on her bodysuit.

She fished out her PDA. [I was attacked by ghouls of all things! They knew I was on a job for the Awakusu-kai! But... how did they know...?] She was understandably shaken up. Celty even made a few typos.

"Are you hurt anywhere?" asked Shizuo, standing up.

"Do you need me to patch you up? How serious are your injuries?" Shinra shot out the questions rapidly.

[No, nothing major... A few scrapes] she admitted. [I'm going to take a shower... Most of the blood isn't mine.]

"Oooh! Do you want me to join you?" Shinra asked.

Celty punched the man in the stomach. [Pervert!]

Shizuo sighed and shook his head sadly. His friends were strange, but it wasn't really a bad thing... most of the time...

What worried him was the fact that another person close to him was attacked. First Mairu and Kururi. Now Celty...

Just who would be next?

* * *

><p><em>thanks for reading!<em>

_Beatosama: yup, morbid's a key word for Izaya's lifestyle in this fic. shiki wanted to have izaya eat people in front of his men (and himself) to scare them back into line, like if they betray him they know what'll happen. there won't be a body for their families to bury. i really think izaya's really a lonely person, even in the actual series, so i try to bring that in. thanks you for your comment :))_


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